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Matthew 1:18-25

JOSEPH: A HUMBLE MAN FOR A HEAVENLY MISSION

Intro:When God moved in
time to send His Son Jesus into the world, God chose the perfect vessel when He
chose the virgin named Mary.Of course,
since the birth of Jesus was to be a virgin birth, there would be no need for a
human male to father the child.However,
because Jesus was coming into this world as a helpless infant, and since God
was sending His Son into this world to live in poverty and not splendor, there
would be a great need for someone to provide for the needs of this child.Therefore, God chose the man Joseph to be the
earthly caretaker of His heavenly Son.

It
would appear that Joseph was no ordinary man.From our text, it is easy to see that Joseph was a man of compassion,
integrity, decency and love.He was a
man who honored God’s will in his life, and was totally committed to doing
God’s will.Joseph was a humble man who
was more concerned about what God wanted out of his life than about what he
himself wanted.He was a humble man
chosen for a heavenly mission.

As
I read this passage, I can see a man who possesses certain characteristics that
mark him as a special man.Joseph was
the kind of man we should all strive to be.I am almost sure that the Lord will not call you and me to go through
what Joseph went through.However, I am
also sure that God wants to use your life and mine for His glory, just as He
used Joseph.

I
would like for us to take a little time this evening to look into this
passage.I want to point out some
details of Joseph’s life mark him as a man God could use.I want to preach today on this thought: Joseph,
A Humble Man For A Heavenly Mission.

I.v. 18-19THE TRAGEDY THAT MARRED HIS LIFE

(Ill. Joseph was a man hand-picked
and personally prepared by God for a special mission, his life was not without
its trials and tragedies.In fact,
Joseph faced, weathered and overcame trials that would have derailed many other
people.A quick look at what Joseph
faced and how he reacted can help us as we seek to become all the Lord would
have us to be.)

A.v. 18The Tragedy Of Shocking Discoveries – As you know, this man
Joseph is betrothed to a young woman named Mary.The betrothal period was, for all intents and
purposes, just like a marriage, except for the fact that the couple did not
live together and did not engage in physical relations.Both parties were expected to keep themselves
pure for the day they physically came together as husband and wife.It was common for the betrothal period to
last several months or longer.

It
was during this period of time that Joseph discovers the Mary is pregnant.No doubt, she shared with him her side of the
story as the phrase “she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”But, who had ever heard of such a thing?Joseph knows where babies come from and to
him, this is a shocking discovery!

B.v. 18-19The Tragedy Of Shattered Dreams – No doubt like most men,
Joseph was looking forward to the day when he and Mary came together to share
their lives.He was probably preparing
the home where they would live.He was
busy putting together all the things they would need as husband and wife.I am sure his days were filled with work and
his nights with dreams about all the future held for Mary, for himself and for
the children they would someday have together.

Then,
like a cruel slap in the face, came the news that shattered all his hopes and
his dreams.Mary is pregnant and Joseph
is not the father.For a time, it must
have felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest.It must have hurt as every dream he had came
crashing down around him.All of his
plans, his hopes and his dreams fell from his grasp as though they were grains
of sand.It was a time of shattered
dreams.

C.v. 19The Tragedy Of Sorrowful Decisions – Now, Joseph is faced with
a dilemma.The Bible says that
he was a “just” man.This means that
he was “righteous and one who kept the divine laws.”He knows what the Law says.It is quite clear!When a woman is found guilty of adultery, she
is to be stoned to death, Deut.
22:20-22!But, there is another option.Deut.
24:1 says that he can just give her a bill of divorcement and
send her away.As he meditates,
Joseph determines that he does not want to embarrass Mary publicly;
he does not want to see her stoned to death either.So, to his mind, the best course of action is to deal with
the matter privately, and just divorce her quietly.No doubt the things Joseph pondered broke his heart.It was a time for sorrowful decisions!

(Note: What a true portrait of the harsh reality of life! We do
our best to make our plans and get things all lined up like they thing they
ought to be, then something happens and we see our hopes, our plans and our
dreams come crashing down! When these things happen, it breaks our hearts
because it isn’t what we wanted or what we expected and it looks to us as
though it could be the worst thing possible. But, like Joseph, we are blind to
the fact that God is working behind the scenes. In fact, it was God Who
shattered our dreams! The things that take place in life are not accidents, but
are carefully planned and arranged events designed to help us grow in the
Lord.That is hard for us to understand,
but it is still the truth.

You
see, our God works out His will in our lives in ways that we cannot even begin
to comprehend, Isa. 55:8-9. His
plans for us are not what we would have chosen for ourselves, Job 1-2. But, His plans are always the
best, even when they hurt us deeply, Rom.
8:28; 2 Cor. 4:15-17.We may
not like it when the Lord shatters our dreams, but when everything has been
said and done, we will see that His plan was, and is, the best plan of all!

Ill. Joseph - His path
lead him from the place of prominence in his father's house, through a pit,
into Potipher's house and though a prison. In the end, he would sit in the
place of power on the throne of Egypt.
It would never have happened had God not first shattered his dreams and broken
his heart, Gen. 50:20!

We
might as well face it this evening.If
we are going to be used greatly of the Lord, there will some trials along the
way.Elijah had to hide himself by
Cherith before he could stand in power on Carmel.David had to deal with lions and bears in
private before he was ready to face Goliath in public. It is hard for us to
understand, but those God would use greatly, He often hurts deeply.)

II.v.
20-23THE TASK THAT MARKED HIS LIFE

(Ill. In the middle of this great tragedy in
the life of Joseph, God placed a call upon him.God assigned Joseph a task that many would have balked at; but it was a
task that Joseph embraced and completed by faith.A great tragedy may have marred his life, but
this task marked his life.)

A.v. 20The Task Involved Divine Revelations – Joseph is told that
the child Mary carries is no ordinary baby.He finds out that Mary’s child is the Son of God.

B.v. 20-21The Task Involved Definite Requirements – Joseph is
instructed that he is not to divorce Mary and he is not to have her stoned; but
he is to take to himself as his wife, and he is to embrace her child as if He
was his own Son.Joseph is told to name
the Child, thus he is given the responsibility of caring for and of providing
for the Baby Jesus.This man is handed a
difficult task.

C.v. 21-23The Task Involved Delightful Realizations – After hearing
what is required in his task, Joseph learns the amazing truth.The baby Mary carries is to be fulfillment of
the greatest promise God ever gave to man, Gen.
3:15.For thousands of years, the
faithful have been looking down the corridors of time, waiting for the moment
when God would send His Redeemer, His Messiah into the world.Throughout the Old Testament years, every
lamb that was slain pointed ahead to the coming of this One Who was being
formed in the womb of Mary.All the
prophets looked ahead to this glorious moment in time, Isa. 7:14; Isa. 9:6.All of
creation groaned for the day when this child would come and deliver this world
from the bondage and blight of sin.

Then,
Joseph hears the angel tell him that this child is to be named “Jesus.”Why? Because He will be the One Who will save
His people from their sins.His name
will define His mission, “Jehovah is Salvation.”

I
am sure Joseph does not understand everything that is happening.I am certain that he does not grasp all the
importance of the moment.But, if he
did, then he would have understood that God was entering this world through the
womb of a virgin.He would have
understood that God, Who is Spirit and fills all things, was coming into this
world in the person of a helpless infant.He would have known that Jehovah was coming to live in his house, learn
his trade, sit on his knee and grow up to die for the sins of God’s elect.No, Joseph probably did not understand it
all, but I believe he got enough to know that God had just transformed what he
thought was his worst nightmare into what would become his greatest blessing.He understood enough so that he could put his
shoulder to the load God had called him to bear with joy.

(Note:Often the way
we look at life is like watching a parade go by while standing between two tall
buildings. All you are able to see of the parade is that portion that is
passing directly in front of you at any given moment. You have a memory of what
has already passed, but you have no idea about what is yet to come. You have to
wait until it gets to you. But, if you were to climb on top of one of those
tall buildings, you would be able to see the parade in its entirety. You could
see the beginning, the middle and the end all at the same time. There would be
no surprises!

That’s
the way we see life, isn’t it? All we can really see is the part that happens
to be passing before our eyes at the present time. We have a blurred memory of
that which has gone before, but we have no idea about what is coming our way. Our
God, however, sits above it all. To Him, there are no surprises! He knows the
end from the beginning, because He had planned it all the way through.

The
best thing we can ever learn to do is to simply trust Him to bring the best
into our lives day by day. Even when our dreams are shattered and our hopes are
dashed to pieces on the jagged rocks of reality, we need to trust the truth
that our Father is still in control and He will take care of His children!
Despite what you and I may think at times, God does know what is best for us!

May
we never forget that it is from the wreckage of our greatest hurts that God
often builds for us the greatest of blessings! Just because the way is
dark, don’t stop holding to His powerful hand. He may lead you through some dark
places, but He will never forsake you in any of them, Psa. 23:4. Wherever His path leads you, you can count on His
provisions to be sufficient for the need of the hour, 2 Cor. 12:9; Heb. 13:5; Phil. 4:19.

When
your dreams lie broken around you; your plans have been destroyed before your
eyes; and your hopes have all been dashed at your feet; remember, it may look
bleak from our perspective, but God is working out His perfect will in your
life and mine. So, may we walk
confidently with our hand held safely in His grasp, even when we cannot see the
way or understand the why. Our duty to Him is to walk with Him humbly by faith
until He brings us to the place where He has already placed our provisions. You
see, while we are toiling here today, He has already gone into tomorrow and
arranged our path, supplied our need and lifted our burden. Therefore, just keep
walking; just take one step at time. You will arrive at the place where the
questions are answered and the needs are met, in His time!

You
see, God has a plan for your life.The
task He has for you to fulfill may not be easy.But, along the way, there will be some times when Heaven will brush up
close to the earth, and God will give us a little glimpse of that which He is
doing in our lives.It is those moments
that make the tasks He assigns bearable.)

III.v. 24-25THE TESTIMONY THAT MEASURED HIS LIFE

(Ill. The real test of maturity is not what a
person faces in life, nor is it revealed in what they are called on to do.The real evidence of the depth of a person’s
character is seen in what they do with what they are handed.It is one thing to be placed in a trial; but
it is another thing altogether to respond to that trial in a proper
manner.It is one thing to be called to
carry out a task for the Lord; but it is another thing altogether to do it
without question.We have considered the
tragedy that marred this man’s life.We
have also looked into the task that marked his life.Let’s take a moment to think about the
testimony that measured his life.For,
in Joseph’s response to the tragedy and to the task; we are given a priceless
glimpse of this man’s testimony.)

A.v. 24 A Testimony Of Unconditional Compliance – Many men would
have walked away from the Lord and from Mary at that moment.But, not Joseph!As soon as he awoke, he rose and carried out
the command of the Lord.There is no doubt
but that people talked about this young couple that had been unable and
unwilling to wait until they were “properly married.”At this moment in Joseph’s life, he was not
interested in what the community thought about him; he simply wanted to carry
out the will of the Lord for his life.In spite of his question, his fears and his concerns, Joseph sets out by
faith to obey the Lord.What a
testimony!

B.v. 25A Testimony Of Unwavering Commitment – Even when he took
Mary into his home, he refrained himself from physical contact with her.He obeyed the Lord and preserved her
virginity until after Jesus had been born.Here is a man willing to bear the shame and reproach leveled at him from
the community, and he is also willing to place his own desires, needs and
rights on the back burner.He wants
nothing more than to do the perfect will of God.Again, I say: What a testimony!

C.v. 25A Testimony Of Unfailing Completion – When the child was
born, Joseph took the next step of faith and named the child Jesus, just as he
had been commanded by the angel Gabriel.As far as we know, Joseph never faltered as he perfectly carried out the
commands of God for his life.In spite
of the fact that he has been called upon to believe the impossible and to do
the incredible, he never wavered.He did
what the Lord told him to do!What a
testimony!

(Note: As we move through life, we have already discovered
that the Lord has a plan to use us for His glory.We have also learned that this plan may be
very difficult for us to carry out.There may be some rough places along the way.There may be some significant bumps in our
paths.But, genuine faith in God never
seeks the easier road.Faith is willing
to go where God leads it, regardless of the cost and regardless of the
consequences. Real faith says, “On the surface, this looks like the worst
thing that I have ever faced.Still, I
know God has gone ahead of me and that He had planned the path I will
take.Therefore, I will not look to the
right or to the left, but I will faithfully place my feet in the footprints He
has already left in front of me.I will
follow Him wherever He sends me and I will not turn back, in spite of what I
may face.It may look like a nightmare
at this moment; but I know that His plan is the best plan and that He will take
this tragedy and turn it into a triumph.Therefore, I say, ‘Here am I send me, Oh Lord!’”) What will you
do when your dreams become nightmares?

Conc:Did you know that God used
Joseph in the life of Jesus in a powerful fashion?No doubt Joseph was very involved in the life
and training of Jesus as a young man.God took a poor, humble carpenter and used him to carry out an important
heavenly mission.

Did
you know that he is still looking for special people He can use to carry out
His will in the world today?I am
certain that He will never ask you to do what He asked Mary and Joseph to
do.But, I am certain that He has plenty
of difficult assignments that need to be fulfilled.He is looking for people who will follow him
in spite of the tragedies life.He is
looking for people who will take of the tasks He assigns them and go for
God.He is looking for people who
possess the right kind of testimony, who will go with Him until their
assignment is completed.

Are
you that kind of person?If so, why not
get before Him and say, “Here am I, send me!”Or, maybe you are one of those people who has
watched as your dreams have become nightmares; you feel overwhelmed by the task
you have been assigned.Why don’t you get
before Him and lean on Him for the grace you need to complete your
mission.I don’t know your heart or your
need, but I know the God Who will help you with both.